If you want to be in the range of Midtown but otherwise removed from the rush, find Kips Bay bounded by Lexington Avenue and the East River between 23rd and 34th streets. Kips Bay is nominally split into distinct sections by the avenues that run through it. Healthcare-related buildings dominate first Avenue. Second Avenue is home to the area’s characteristic brick high-rise towers, along with some brick rowhouses. (The I.M. Pei-designed Kips Bay Towers are off the avenue on 33rd street). Third and Lexington are where you’ll find local bars and restaurants, respectively. However, this does not mean that Kips Bay is without its curiosities. One of the last wooden houses in Manhattan is on 29th street, and there is a rare-for-NYC alley named Broadway Alley despite the fact it is nowhere near Broadway (the street or the industry). Look close enough, and you can find just about anything in Kips Bay.